1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing method, and more particularly to an inking technique for intaglio plate printing to which an inkjet system is applied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years have seen a use of a technique for forming a micropattern such as metal wiring and electrical wiring patterns for a thin film transistor in a glass substrate, a resin substrate, and other substrates using a printing process. Such a substrate having a micropattern formed by a liquid containing conductive particles such as metal is used for a thin display device such as a liquid crystal display, a portable communication device, and other devices.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-081726 (PTL 1) discloses a pattern forming apparatus that forms a color filter for a liquid display and a silver electrode for a plasma display by applying a printing process using a flexible metal flat plate-shaped intaglio plate. The pattern forming apparatus disclosed in PTL 1 fills an intaglio plate with ink (inking) by an inkjet system, evaporates a solvent of the ink filled in the intaglio plate, aligns the intaglio plate with a printing substrate so as to be in close contact with each other, and then transfers the ink onto the printing substrate by pressing the intaglio plate.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-201906 (PTL 2) discloses a printing method of filling the substrate with ink to 100% by filling the intaglio plate with ink, removing the ink on a planar portion of the intaglio plate, and evaporating the ink inside a recessed portion thereby to make the ink adhesive and cohesive.